Apicontent

“Now when Jesus saw a large crowd around him, he gave orders to go to the other side of the lake. Then an expert in the law came to him and said, ‘Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have dens, and the birds in the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.’ Another of the disciples said to him, ‘Lord, let me first go and bury my father.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.’” —Matthew 8:18–22

In these verses, we are given two examples of differing attitudes of those desiring to follow Jesus.

In the first example, a teacher of the law approached Jesus, zealous and seemingly resolute. At first blush, one would assume Jesus’ response to this teacher would have been one of gladness and excitement. How strange that our Lord would have responded in the way that He did. Yet, knowing the heart of this teacher and perceiving his misplaced zeal, Jesus begins to describe to the expert in the law the cost involved in following Him. Jesus knew that emotional zeal without knowledge will not sustain anyone when times become difficult. Jesus does not want His followers to enter into their relationship with Him without counting the cost. True discipleship must include intentionality and sacrifice.

I am reminded of Jesus’ words in Luke:

“For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn’t sit down first and compute the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish the tower, all who see it will begin to make fun of him.” —Luke 14:28–30

In the second example, another disciple also desired to follow Christ, yet he wanted a delay in fulfilling his commitment. He was slow in performing, which—as we see from Jesus’ response—misses the mark as much as emotional zeal and hastiness. We must act on what we know … today. Delayed obedience is disobedience.

The request from the disciple wanting to return home was not really due to the death of his father, as he would have already been involved in the burial process. Rather, this was a desire to go home and wait for his father to die. Familial responsibilities are extremely important to the Lord Jesus and likewise they are to be valued by His followers as well, yet they are never to take precedence over Him. We must remember that only Jesus is to occupy the throne of our lives.

“Then he said to them all, ‘If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will save it. For what does it benefit a person if he gains the whole world but loses or forfeits himself?’” —Luke 9:23–25

“Your cross is prepared and appointed for you by divine love, and you are to accept it cheerfully; you are to carry the cross as your chosen badge and burden, and not to stand judging it too severely. Jesus bids you to submit your shoulder to His easy yoke. Don’t kick at it in petulance, or trample on it in vain conceit, or fall under it in despair, or run away from it in fear, but take it up like a true follower of Jesus. Jesus was a cross bearer; He leads the way in the path of sorrow. Surely you could not desire a better guide! And if He carried a cross, what nobler burden would you desire? The ‘Via Crucis’ is the way of safety; don’t be afraid to tread its thorny paths … Carry your cross, and by the power of the Spirit of God you will soon be so in love with it, that like Moses, you would not exchange the reproach of Christ for all the treasures of Egypt. Remember that Jesus carried it, and it will smell sweetly; remember that it will soon be followed by the crown, and the thought of the coming weight of glory will greatly lighten the present heaviness of trouble. The Lord help you to bow your spirit in submission to the divine will which becomes a follower of the Crucified.” —Charles H. Spurgeon

Become More

Emotional zeal will not sustain us when the winds of life blow hard. Our love for Jesus must be grounded in the knowledge of the truth of His Word.

Further Reflections

“Nobody can fight properly and boldly for the faith if he clings to fear of being stripped of earthly possessions.” —Peter Damian

“Great victory has never been possible without great sacrifice.” —Samuel Zwemer

“There is only one time that is important—now!” —Leo Tolstoy

“Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also. The body they may kill; God’s truth abideth still: His kingdom is forever.” —Martin Luther

“After he came down from the mountain, large crowds followed him. And a leper approached and bowed low before him, saying, ‘Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.’ He stretched out his hand and touched him saying, ‘I am willing. Be clean!’ Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Then Jesus said to him, ‘See that you do not speak to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest, and bring the offering that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.’” —Matthew 8:1–4

It is not surprising that the first miracle Matthew records of our Jesus’ ministry (although it was not the first miracle He performed) is the cleansing of a leper.

Leprosy is a lot like sin. Leprosy was known at that time in history as a dire and dreaded disease and was looked upon by the Jews as a particular mark of God’s displeasure. Lepers were banned to a life outside the city where they had no physical contact with others. They were not allowed in the temple for worship, their arms were not allowed to hug, their hearts received no words of encouragement or affirmation. They were required to constantly scream out “Unclean!” “Unclean!” to warn passersby not to come near them. Sin is the leprosy of the soul, shutting us out from communion with God.

Yet Christ came to turn away the wrath of God by taking away sin. It is so fitting that the first miracle Matthew records begins with the cure of a leper. Leprosy was a disease the Jewish people knew only God could heal. This leper could not help himself.

In the Old Testament we read about the specifics of the Jewish Law for those who had leprosy:

“As for the diseased person who has the infection, his clothes must be torn, the hair of his head must be unbound, he must cover his mustache, and he must call out ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ The whole time he has the infection he will be continually unclean. He must live in isolation, and his place of residence must be outside the camp.”—Leviticus 13:45–46

Large crowds had begun to follow Jesus immediately following the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7), and although this leper was banned from joining the crowds, He was quite possibly within hearing distance of Christ’s teachings. In any case, this leper approached Jesus humbly, yet with a bold confidence in His ability to heal him: “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”

Luke tells us in his account of this story that this leper was covered with leprosy—he was perhaps in the final stage of his life—and he fell facedown at Jesus’ feet in his humble petition:

“While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came to him who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he bowed down with his face to the ground and begged him, ‘Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.’” —Luke 5:12

Jesus, who never turns away any who willingly seek Him, in an act of merciful compassion, reaches out and touches the untouchable and speaks these assuring words to this man’s hopeful ears: “I am willing.” Jesus, who spoke the world into being, is not only able but willing to heal this man.

“Now to him who by the power that is working within us is able to do far beyond all that we ask or think, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” —Ephesians 3:20–21

Jesus always answers when we come to Him. If the answer is “No” when praying for a physical or spiritual healing, we can be assured that it is for a far greater “Yes” to something else, whether we can discern that or not. There is always much more going on than what we can see. God is always working whether we see His hand or not. As believers, this world is not our home, heaven is. Remember Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead for him only to die again. Whatever “thorn” He allows in our lives to remain—whether infirmity, sickness, or pain—He uses for our good.

How can we say that it is never God’s will for us to be sick if it was His will to allow His own Son to die? Like a diamond on black velvet, divine power is often best displayed against the background of human weakness. Our attitude of acceptance of whatever is allowed in our lives is grounded in knowing God always has our best interest at heart. Even though we cannot understand, we can still trust Him. It is called faith. He always provides the grace sufficient to meet each trial He allows in our lives.

Become More

“What shines forth and reveals God in your life is not your relative consistency to an idea of what a saint should be, but your genuine, living relationship with Jesus Christ, and your unrestrained devotion to Him whether you are well of sick.” —Oswald Chambers

Further Reflections

Sin is the leprosy of the soul, keeping us from communion with God.

“God’s mercy is vast and beyond our comprehension. He will never reject anyone who turns to Him for mercy. Nor will He force Himself on anyone who chooses to live without Him.” —Michael Youssef “Even because of the extraordinary character of the revelations. Therefore, so that I would not become arrogant, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to trouble me – so that I would not become arrogant. I asked the Lord three times about this, that it would depart from me. But he said to me, “My grace is enough for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” So then, I will boast most gladly about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may reside in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, with insults, with troubles, with persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ, for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.” —2 Corinthians 12:7–10

“As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee he saw two brothers, Simon (called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea (for they were fishermen). He said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will turn you into fishers of people!’ They left their nets immediately and followed him. Going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and his brother John, in a boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. Then he called them. They immediately left the boat and their father and followed him.” —Matthew 4:18–22

Leaving all, these two sets of brothers immediately heed Jesus’ call to follow Him. In following Jesus, they are agreeing to His right over their lives. Willing to let go of their possessions and their own aspirations, they yield to His. Smart move on their part! It is God’s desire for us to live our lives with open hands–—not holding on to any earthly treasure or endeavor.

I am reminded of our Lord’s words to us later in Matthew:

“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life because of me will find it.” —Matthew 10:37–39

It is Jesus who makes us fishers of men, not our own ability or creativity. In our verses for today, it is Jesus who is preparing to make disciples out of these fishermen—changing their lives as well as the course of history! When Jesus moves calls, things happen! Nothing is too hard for Him.

Jeremiah’s prayer comes to mind:

“Oh, Sovereign LORD, you did indeed make heaven and earth by your mighty power and great strength. Nothing is too hard for you!” —Jeremiah 32:17

I am also reminded of the writer of Hebrews’ lovely benediction expressing the confidence that God through the Lord Jesus will prepare us for every good use:

“Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep, our Lord Jesus, equip you with good thing to do his will, working in us what is pleasing before him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” —Hebrews 13:20–21

This does not negate our personal responsibility in knowing and applying God’s truth to our lives. Yet, it is God who works in us to accomplish His purposes. Paul puts it this way to the Philippians:

“So then, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence but even more in my absence, continue working out your salvation with awe and reverence, for the one bringing forth in you both the desire and the effort—for the sake of his good pleasure—is God.” —Philippians 2:12–13

Jesus’ call to His twelve disciples to follow Him goes much deeper than a mere walking with Him. This is true for every disciple! The call to follow is not a temporary following. It entails an abiding fellowship not only for the sake of learning but of doing whatever He calls us to do. It involves holding on to Him in trust and obedience and acting according to His example. It is God’s desire that we are ever in the process of being conformed to the image of His Son. His desire is that when the world looks upon Jesus’ followers, they see Jesus. We are to be controlled by the Spirit of God.

Become More

“… because those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” —Romans 8:29

Further Reflections

“I make it my priority to persevere in His holy presence, wherein I maintain a simple attention and a fond regard for God.” —Brother Lawrence

A special faith in our Lord Jesus Christ’s person, work, and office is the life, heart, and mainspring of the Christian character. He sees by faith an unseen Saviour, who loved him, gave Himself for him, paid his debts for him, bore his sins, carried his transgressions, rose again for him, and appears in heaven for him as his Advocate at the right hand of God. He sees Jesus and clings to Him … He sees his own many sins, his weak heart, a tempting world, a busy devil; and if he looked only at them, he might well despair. But he sees also a mighty Saviour, an interceding Saviour, a sympathizing Saviour–His blood … His righteousness, His everlasting priesthood–and he believes that all this is his own. He sees Jesus and casts his whole weight on Him. Seeing Him, he cheerfully fights on, with full confidence that he will prove more than a conqueror through Him that loved him.” —J C Ryle

“In those days John the Baptist came into the wilderness of Judea proclaiming, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near. For he is the one about whom the prophet Isaiah had spoken: “The voice of one shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make his paths straight.’”
“Now John wore clothing made from camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his diet consisted of locusts and wild honey. Then people from Jerusalem, as well as all Judea and all the region around the Jordan, were going out to him, and he was baptizing them in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins.” —Matthew 3:1–6

John the Baptist’s message was one of repentance; a calling of the people to turn back from their point of departure, a calling to turn back to God. The people had thought wrongly and John called them to think aright. A change of mind will always produce a change of ways. Indeed, John the Baptist was the voice of one calling in the dusty desert to prepare the way for the Lord. His ministry even took place in the Desert of Judea—the barren and rugged land west of the Dead Sea. The desert is a vivid picture of the dry and fruitless condition of man’s soul apart from the “living water” of the Lord Jesus Christ who said:

“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. Just as the scripture says, ‘From within him will flow rivers of living water.’” (Now he said this about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were going to receive, for the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.)” —John 7:37–39

Matthew skips about thirty years Jesus’ life and begins his narrative by picking up with the ministry of John the Baptist. In other parts of Scripture, glorious things are spoken regarding both Jesus and John at their births, which would cause us to expect extraordinary appearances of God’s power and presence when they were young. Yet God’s Word remains mostly silent on both of their growing up years—we have only been given the privilege of barely a glimpse. This brings our focus to the end of their lives—not the workings up to the end. It is amazing how God often takes years before the “time fully comes” in the lives of His chosen vessels and remains fairly silent until their specific task is at hand. There is preparation time in every life and though we may not readily perceive it, God is ever at work.

Our God is a mysterious God. His plans are often not revealed to us. The prophet Isaiah tells us:

“Yes, you are a God who keeps hidden, O God of Israel, deliverer!” —Isaiah 45:15

“Indeed, my plans are not like your plans, and my deeds are not like your deeds,” says the LORD, “for just as the sky is higher than the earth, so my deeds are superior to your deeds and my plans superior to your plans.” —Isaiah 55:8–9

Luke writes of God’s planned job description for John:

“But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son; you will name him John. Joy and gladness will come to you, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go as forerunner before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared for him.’” —Luke 1:13–17

In our verses for today, we see John the Baptist not blending with the world (to say the least!). He was great in the sight of the Lord yet lowly in the sight of man—just as Christ himself. John was a plain man denying this world and its eye-catching delights. He had to have been an oddity with his choice of clothing and food as well as his startling and awakening message. He was focused on his office, his call from above.

Generally speaking, the Jewish people of that day were very proud of their privileges as God’s chosen people. They wanted to ignore their sin. John was sent to level their tall mountains of pride and high opinions of themselves. His teachings of self-denial are as necessary now as they were back then. It remains important for us to have a conviction of the inadequacy of our own righteousness. The way of sin and Satan is always a crooked path. To prepare a way for Christ our paths must be made straight. The writer of Hebrews tells us:

“Therefore, strengthen your listless hands and your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but be healed.” —Hebrews 12:12–13

Become More

“The one who answers God’s call loses nothing, but a life deaf to God’s call loses everything.” —Ann Voskamp

Further Reflection

“Those whose business is to call others to mourn for sin and put it to death should themselves live a serious life, a life of self-denial.” —Matthew Henry

“This is the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, Judah the father of Perez and Zerah (by Tamar), Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, Salmon the father of Boaz (by Rahab), Boaz the father of Obed (by Ruth), Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king. David was the father of Solomon (by the wife of Uriah), Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa, Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, Joram the father of Uzziah, Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. After the deportation to Babylon, Jeconiah became the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, Achim the father of Eliud, Eliud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.
So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to Christ, fourteen generations.” —Matthew 1:1–17

Seriously, is there anyone out there still awake?

I mean, really, what could possibly be more exciting or invigorating than a good genealogy read? However, this isn’t just any genealogical presentation. It is the genealogy of our Lord and Savior’s earthly ancestors and the list is packed full of insight into God’s amazing grace.

The book of Matthew was written by the tax collector turned Jesus follower, one of the original twelve Apostles. It is an eyewitness account of much of our Lord’s earthly ministry. Matthew writes his gospel primarily to a Jewish audience. It is fitting that he begins his writing by connecting Jesus back to the two great covenants of Jewish history—the Abrahamic (Genesis 12 and 15) and the Davidic (2 Samuel 7)—by including a detailed lineage of Christ. This genealogy shows that God is ever faithful to His promises and will make good every word He has spoken though the performance of the fulfillment may be long deferred.

Anyone claiming to be the King of the Jews at that time would have been asked by their fellow Jews if they were indeed descendants of King David. Matthew clearly gives a definitive “Yes!” to Jesus being rightly related to King David by detailing His lineage.

Interestingly, Matthew makes mention of five women in his genealogy of Jesus. He also includes some men of questionable character. The genealogy of Jesus demonstrates the gift of God’s grace: Tamar, an adulterous Canaanite; Rahab, a prostitute and a Canaanite as well; Ruth, a Moabite; Solomon’s mother Bathsheba, an adulteress; and Mary “of whom was born Jesus,” the “of whom” being a feminine relative pronoun indicating Jesus was the physical child of Mary yet Joseph was not His physical father. I think it is interesting that Matthew, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, mentions Uriah’s name in lieu of Bathsheba’s as he had been her husband and the one that King David murdered in an effort to cover his own sin with her. I think it sweet of God to recognize Uriah in this significant place rather than Bathsheba, once again reminding us that he was an honorable man.

We see God’s grace throughout the Bible, reaching back many generations through his covenant, and going forward through the sacrifice of his only Son.

Become More

“Grace is the grand and only resource for us all. It is the basis of our salvation; the basis of a life of practical godliness; and the basis of those imperishable hopes which animate us amid the trials and conflicts of this sin-stricken world. May we cherish a deeper sense of grace, and more ardent desire for glory!” —C. H. Mackintosh

Further Reflections

“Delays of promised mercies, though they exercise our patience, do not weaken God’s promise.” —Matthew Henry

“No sea is deeper than the ocean of His love. There is no army stronger than His hosts, no force greater than His throne of grace, no enemy who can overcome His direct and indirect work in our lives.” —Robert J. Morgan